Movable partition

Abstract

To provide a movable partition capable of being smoothly moved by preventing inclination thereof relative to its travel direction.SOLUTION: A movable partition includes a partition body 30 having at upper end portion thereof guide means 11, 11 guided along a guide rail 5, a large diameter wheel 12 capable of traveling on a floor surface in a central part of a lower end part of the partition body, and auxiliary wheels 13, 13 provided in both right and left side parts sandwiching the wheel 12 for being in contact with the floor surface F.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a movable partition having an upper end that is movably guided along a guide rail and a lower end that is supported on a floor surface via wheels. [Background technology]

[0002] An example of such a movable partition is described in Patent Document 1. The movable partition described in Patent Document 1 has the advantage that the weight of the partition body (panel) is supported by the floor surface via a pair of casters on the left and right, reducing the load on the guide rail that guides the upper end of the partition body, and simplifying its strength and mounting strength. In addition, casters (wheels) are provided at the lower end, which assist the movement of the movable partition and at the same time prevent the movable partition from swaying sideways in the front and rear directions. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 4583661 (page 3, figure 1) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the movable partition described in Patent Document 1, the casters are so-called fixed casters that rotate freely around the front-to-rear axis, so it was difficult to rotate the movable partition. As a result of extensive research by the inventors of the present application to solve this problem, they discovered that if a wheel with a dual-wheel structure that can run on the floor is provided in the center of the lower end of the partition body, the movable partition can change direction smoothly and move in a straight line, and they have previously filed a patent application.

[0005] However, it was found that a new problem occurs even with movable partitions with wheels at the center of the lower end. That is, when the movable partition is moved, it may tilt in the direction of travel around the wheel at the center. When this happens, the horizontal guide rollers supporting the upper end of the movable partition will no longer roll smoothly within the guide rails with a downward U-shaped cross section, and there is a risk that the movable partition will not be able to move smoothly.

[0006] The present invention has been made in response to such problems, and has as its object to provide a movable partition that can be moved smoothly by preventing it from tilting relative to the direction of travel. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, the movable partition of the present invention comprises: The partition body has a guide means at the upper end that is guided along a guide rail, a large diameter wheel at the center of the lower end that can run on the floor surface, and auxiliary wheels that can come into contact with the floor surface are provided on both the left and right sides sandwiching the wheel. According to this feature, the movable partition can change direction smoothly, and the auxiliary wheels prevent the partition body from tilting around the wheels in the direction of travel, allowing the movable partition to be moved smoothly.

[0008] The wheel has a twin wheel structure in which two individual wheels are attached to an axle, and the auxiliary wheel is capable of freely rotating around a vertical axis. According to this feature, the dual-wheel structure wheels improve the straight-line movement of the movable partition, while the auxiliary wheels that can rotate around a vertical axis allow it to change direction smoothly.

[0009] The partition body has a frame-shaped frame, and the wheels of the dual-wheel structure are characterized in that the two individual wheels are attached to the center of the lower frame part so as to sandwich the lower horizontal frame part of the frame-shaped frame. According to this feature, the wheels of the dual-wheel structure can be made larger in diameter, improving running performance.

[0010] At least one of the auxiliary wheels is slightly spaced from the floor surface. According to this feature, since at least one of the auxiliary wheels is separated from the floor surface, the movable partition can be easily changed in direction (turned). Also, if the movable partition tilts even slightly in the direction of travel of the wheels, the auxiliary wheel that is slightly separated from the floor surface immediately comes into contact with the floor surface, so the tilt of the movable partition can be suppressed.

[0011] The guide means is a pair of guide rollers provided on the left and right sides, and the pair of auxiliary wheels and the pair of guide rollers are attached at substantially the same positions on the left and right sides. According to this feature, the amount of tilting of the guide roller and the auxiliary wheels when the movable partition attempts to tilt is similar, thereby reliably preventing the movable partition from tilting in the direction of travel, allowing for smoother direction changes (turning). [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a partition device equipped with a movable partition according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is an enlarged bottom view of part A in FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is an enlarged bottom view of part B in FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. [Figure 7] 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC in FIG. 6. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is an enlarged front view of a movable partition according to the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A mode for carrying out a movable partition according to the present invention will be described below based on an embodiment. EXAMPLES

[0014] A movable partition according to a first embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1 to Fig. 7. As shown in Fig. 1, a movable partition 20 according to the first embodiment is used in a partition device 1 that is installed on a floor surface to divide a large indoor space such as an office or an exhibition hall into a square shape.

[0015] The partition device 1 comprises a frame body 2 that is installed freestanding on the floor surface. The frame body 2 comprises six support columns 3 that are aligned at regular intervals in the front, back, left and right directions and are lower than the ceiling surface in the vertical dimension, and seven beams 4 that connect the upper ends of the support columns 3 at right angles to each other in the front, back, left and right directions to form a "sun" shape in a plan view. The support columns 3 and beams 4 are manufactured by extrusion molding of aluminum material, for example.

[0016] As shown in Fig. 2, a guide rail 5 having a downward U-shaped cross section and inwardly facing pieces 5a, 5a facing each other at the lower end is fixed by a plurality of screws 6 to the downward concave lower surface formed at the lower end of each beam 4. The guide rails 5 are manufactured by extrusion molding of aluminum material, for example, and the lengths of the two guide rails 5 extending in the left-right direction at the front and the three guide rails 5 extending in the front-rear direction are formed to be shorter than the overall length of the beam 4 by a required dimension in order to connect a bridge rail 9 described later (see Figs. 4 and 5). Both side surfaces in the longitudinal direction of each beam 4, together with both side surfaces of the guide rails 5, are covered by cover members 7, 7, but such cover members 7 may be omitted.

[0017] A plurality of fixed partitions 8 having an adjuster (not shown) at their lower ends are installed between the floor and guide rails (not shown) attached to the undersides of the beams 4, 4 extending in the left-right direction at the rear. In addition, one fixed partition 8 is also installed between the floor and guide rails (not shown) attached to the undersides of the beams 4, 4 extending in the front-rear direction at both left and right ends. Each fixed partition 8 can also be movably suspended from the guide rail.

[0018] As shown in Fig. 1, movable partitions 20, 20 of this embodiment are movably supported on two guide rails 5, 5 extending in the left-right direction at the front facing each other across the support pillar 3 (details will be described later). Note that, although only two movable partitions 20 are used in this embodiment, it goes without saying that three or more movable partitions may be supported by making the beams 4 and guide rails 5 longer.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 4, at the ends of the guide rails 5, 5 at the left corner of the front side of the frame body 2 (part A in FIG. 1), that is, at the ends of the linearly adjacent guide rails 5, 5 attached to the two beams 4, 4 connected at right angles to the support 3 in an L-shape from two directions, a bridge rail 9 having the same cross-sectional shape as the guide rail 5 is installed so as to form 45 degrees in plan and bottom views and to be continuous with the guide rails 5, 5. The upper surfaces of both ends of the bridge rail 9 are screwed to the lower surface of the beam 4. The lower ends of the adjacent cover members 7, 7 are cut out so that the bridge rail 9 can be inserted therethrough. A similar bridge rail 9 is also installed on the guide rail 5 at the L-shaped intersection on the right side.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 5, at the ends of the three guide rails 5 at the T-shaped intersection (part B in FIG. 1) in the center of the front of the frame body 2, i.e., the three linearly adjacent guide rails 5 attached to each beam 4 connected at right angles to the support pillars 3 from three directions, bridge rails 9, 9 similar to those described above are installed so that both ends form 45 degrees in plan and bottom views and are continuous with the three guide rails 5.

[0021] In this way, by installing bridge rails 9 on guide rails 5 at the L-shaped intersection and T-shaped intersection of beam 4, the movable partition 20 can be changed direction (rotated) in the direction of the arrows in Figures 4 and 5, bypassing the support pillars 3.

[0022] Next, the configuration of the movable partition 20 of this embodiment will be described in detail. The movable partition 20, 20 comprises a hollow frame 21 having a rectangular cross section, and a panel 22 having a length shorter than the vertical length of the frame 21 and having both ends fixed to the opposing surfaces of the left and right vertical frame portions 21a, 21a of the frame 21. The frame 21 and the panel 22 form a partition body 30. Note that a whiteboard or the like may be attached instead of the panel 22.

[0023] 2 and 3, the lower ends of a pair of left and right support shafts 10 facing in the up-down direction are fixed to the upper surface of the upper horizontal frame portion 21b of the frame-shaped frame 21, and guide rollers 11 serving as guide means are attached to the upper ends of both support shafts 10 so as to be freely rotatable horizontally. The guide rollers 11 of the left and right movable partitions 20 are respectively rollably inserted into two guide rails 5 extending in the left-right direction at the front and facing each other across the support post 3. As a result, the upper ends of the left and right movable partitions 20 are supported by the guide rails 5 so as to be movable in the left-right direction.

[0024] Large-diameter wheels 12 that rotate in contact with the floor surface F during movement are attached to the center of the lower horizontal frame portion 21b of the frame-shaped frame 21. Casters 13, 13 with a locking mechanism and smaller diameter than the wheels 12, which serve as auxiliary wheels, are attached to the underside of both left and right sides of the lower horizontal frame portion 21b sandwiching the wheels 12 so as to come into contact with the floor surface F and to be freely rotatable around a vertical axis. The left and right casters 13, 13 and the left and right guide rollers 11, 11 are attached at approximately the same positions on the left and right.

[0025] 6 and 7, the wheel 12 has a twin-wheel structure in which two individual wheels 12a, 12a are attached to both ends of an axle 14 facing in a direction (thickness direction) perpendicular to the moving direction of the movable partition 20, and the wheel 12 is attached to the upper surface of the lower horizontal frame portion 21b by a mounting member 15 (details will be described later). The individual wheels 12a, 12a are formed with a relatively large diameter (for example, a diameter of about 15 to 20 cm) and made of, for example, synthetic resin or light metal such as aluminum.

[0026] The wheel 12 is preassembled as follows: First, the axle 14, which has an enlarged diameter portion at one end, is inserted from the outside into a stepped hole (not shown) at the center of one of the wheel units 12a, and the middle portion of the axle 14 is rotatably supported via a bearing (rolling bearing) 16 fitted into a mounting member 15 and a pair of cylindrical spacers 17, 17 on either side of the bearing.

[0027] Next, the other end of the axle 14 is inserted into the stepped hole (not shown) of the other wheel unit 12a, and a screw with a washer (not shown) is screwed into a female threaded hole (not shown) formed on the end face of the axle 14. As a result, the two wheel units 12a, 12a, the axle 14, the mounting member 15, and the pair of spacers 17 are assembled together into a unit. The wheel units 12a, 12a are adapted to rotate together with the axle 14. The wheel units 12a, 12a are assembled so that the distance between them is slightly larger than the thickness of the lower horizontal frame portion 21b.

[0028] As shown in Figure 7, hexagonal socket screws 18, 18 are inserted from above into mounting holes formed in a pair of fixing portions 15a, 15a of the mounting member 15, and screwed into female threaded holes formed in the upper surface of the center of the lower horizontal frame portion 21b. As a result, the wheel 12 is removably fixed to the upper surface of the center of the lower horizontal frame portion 21b with the axle 14 positioned above the lower horizontal frame portion 21b.

[0029] As explained above, in the movable partition 20 according to Example 1, a wheel is provided in the center of the lower end of the frame 21 of the partition main body 30, and casters 13, 13 that contact the floor surface F are provided on both left and right sides sandwiching the wheel 12, so that the casters 13 can prevent the partition main body 30 from tilting in the traveling direction around the wheel 12. When the partition main body 30 is prevented from tilting, the guide rollers 11 are prevented from contacting the inward pieces 5a of the guide rail 5, etc., and smooth movement is possible, so the movable partition 20 can be moved smoothly.

[0030] In addition, the wheels 12 contact the floor surface F at one point, and the casters 13, 13 are freely rotatable around a vertical axis, so that the movable partition 20 can be smoothly changed direction when it is changed direction along the bridge rail 9.

[0031] Furthermore, since the wheels 12 have a dual-wheel structure, the movable partitions 20 can move in a straight line easily when moved along the guide rails 5, and multiple movable partitions 20 can be connected in a straight line.

[0032] Furthermore, since the dual-wheel structure wheel 12 is attached to the upper surface of the center of the lower horizontal frame portion 21b with the two individual wheels 12a, 12a sandwiching the lower horizontal frame portion 21b, the wheel 12 can be made larger in diameter, improving drivability.

[0033] Furthermore, by setting the mounting positions of the left and right casters 13, 13 and the left and right guide rollers 11, 11 to be approximately the same on the left and right, the amount of tilting of the guide rollers 11 and the casters 13 when the movable partition 20 attempts to tilt is similar, and the movable partition 20 is reliably prevented from tilting in the direction of travel, allowing for smoother direction changes (turning).

[0034] Furthermore, the left and right casters 13, 13 are attached below the lower horizontal frame portion 21b so as to fit within the front-to-rear width of the horizontal frame portion 21b, and the two individual wheels 12a, 12a of the dual-wheel wheel 12 are attached so as to protrude from the front and rear of the lower horizontal frame portion 21b. This makes it easy to visually notice the large-diameter individual wheels 12a, 12a, and makes it less likely that feet or other objects will collide with the left and right casters 13, 13, which are positioned further back in the front-to-rear direction than these. EXAMPLES

[0035] The movable partition according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 8. The same components as those in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals and the duplicated description will be omitted. In the movable partition 20 according to the second embodiment, the left and right casters 13, 13 are attached so as to be spaced very slightly (1 mm to 2 mm) from the floor surface F.

[0036] In this way, the movable partition 20 can change direction easily with only the wheel 12 contacting the floor surface F at one point. Also, if the movable partition 20 tilts even slightly in the direction of travel, the caster 13 on the traveling direction side, which is very slightly separated, immediately contacts the floor surface F, thereby preventing the movable partition 20 from tilting. It is also possible to separate only one of the left or right casters 13 from the floor surface F. In this case, too, two wheels, the wheel 12 and the other caster 13, contact the floor surface F, so the movable partition 20 can change direction easily.

[0037] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings, the specific configurations are not limited to these embodiments, and additions and modifications that do not deviate from the gist of the present invention are also included in the present invention.

[0038] For example, in the above embodiment, the wheel 12 has a double wheel structure, but it may have a single wheel structure. In this case, the single wheel may be provided so as to rotate immediately below the lower horizontal frame portion 21b.

[0039] In the above embodiment, the casters 13 serving as auxiliary wheels are freely rotatable around the vertical axis, but fixed auxiliary wheels that do not rotate around the vertical axis may be attached. In this case, the left and right fixed auxiliary wheels may be slightly spaced from the floor surface F. [Explanation of symbols]

[0040] 1 Partition device 2 Frame body 3 pillars 4 Beam 5 Guide rail 7 Cover material 8 Fixed Partition 9 Bridge Rail 10 Support shaft 11 Guide roller (guiding means) 12 wheels 12a Single wheel 13 Caster (training wheels) 14 axles 15 Mounting material 16 Bearings 17 Spacer 20 Movable Partition 21 Frame 21a Vertical frame section 21b Horizontal frame section Panel 22 30 Partition body F Floor

Claims

1. A movable partition characterized by having a guide means at the upper end of the partition body that is guided along a guide rail, a large diameter wheel at the center of the lower end that can run on the floor surface, and auxiliary wheels that can contact the floor surface are provided on both the left and right sides sandwiching the wheel.

2. 2. The movable partition according to claim 1, wherein the wheels have a twin wheel structure in which two individual wheels are attached to an axle, and the auxiliary wheels are freely rotatable around a vertical axis.

3. A movable partition as described in claim 2, characterized in that the partition body has a frame-shaped frame, and the wheels of the dual-wheel structure are attached to the center of the lower frame part so that the two wheels individually sandwich the lower horizontal frame part of the frame-shaped frame.

4. 4. A movable partition according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said auxiliary wheels is slightly spaced from a floor surface.

5. 2. A movable partition according to claim 1, wherein said guide means is a pair of left and right guide rollers that rotate horizontally, and said pair of auxiliary wheels and said pair of guide rollers are attached at substantially the same positions on the left and right.

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